How Can B2B Marketers Scale Regional Growth and Balance Data Governance? – Clare Robson, OneTrust

Clare Robson entered the technology sector through an 18-month graduate rotation programme at Telstra, one of Australia’s largest telecommunications providers. Exploring operations, customer service, and product marketing, she secured her first permanent role selling business handset systems. Over the following decades, Clare transitioned deeper into enterprise software marketing. Today, as Head of Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan at OneTrust, an AI-ready governance platform, she oversees brand awareness, event execution, channel alliance marketing, and pipeline creation across 11 regional countries.

How do you balance global enterprise strategy with regional market nuances?

Clare shares her core operational focus on driving growth across Asia Pacific and Japan.

“I am the head of marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan. I actively cover marketing for my company across 11 countries in the region, so it is a huge remit. I am responsible for a wide range of activities, including events and trade shows, campaigns, partner marketing, webinars, and social media. If it happens in APAC, it is part of my roles and responsibilities. Outside of work, I am a full-time mum of two, so I have a heavy load balancing work and two kids, but it is all a lot of fun.

For those who might not be familiar with OneTrust, we are an AI-ready governance platform. We enable innovation through the responsible use of data and AI. The company was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Atlanta in the United States. A large part of my focus is making sure that the company is successful in expanding into APAC, driving both brand awareness and pipeline generation. I focus on making the most out of global programmes, bringing the best of those initiatives to APAC and regionalising them to suit local market nuances.”

What is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers in modern tech environments?

Addressing resource constraints, Clare discusses doing more with less and navigating data privacy complexities.

“The biggest challenge, no matter what domain of marketing you are in, is doing more with less. I have worked for several tech firms, and it is always the same: leadership wants you to do more, but without necessarily providing more resources or funding. If you want to advance into leadership, you must find creative, innovative ways to drive business growth outside traditional resource allocations.

In my role, dealing with the influx of information and the complexities of data privacy, data personalisation, and data governance is particularly challenging. For marketeers operating across multiple jurisdictions, collecting and treating data responsibly is vital, though not always top of mind for those from traditional backgrounds. As AI gathers momentum, it introduces new risks that marketeers must actively manage.”

How can marketing leaders turn AI risks into operational opportunities?

Clare outlines how internal co-pilot tools streamline daily task management and campaign workflows.

“With great challenge comes great opportunity. The rise of AI is arguably the greatest opportunity our generation has seen. Marketeers can leverage AI responsibly within their organisation to assist with daily tasks, reduce manual processes, and relieve pressure across broad remits.

At OneTrust, we use an internal co-pilot tool vetted by our IT team. It assists with basic content creation, proofreading, editing, and task organisation. I often prompt it in the morning to highlight priority items in my inbox. Integrating these common-sense practices into daily routines offers a massive efficiency gain, while exploring advanced tools can significantly improve how we run campaigns.”

How did a partner MDF strategy generate a 44 to 1 return on investment?

Reflecting on regional expansion, Clare explains how partner-led events accelerated market presence.

“Lead generation is our core measure of success, specifically generating marketing-qualified leads that convert into sales-qualified opportunities. In line with doing more with less, we constantly seek forums that deliver strong returns on investment. Testing new events across expanding markets, one initiative that worked exceptionally well was deploying our Marketing Development Fund, or MDF, across Asia.

The model allows partners, whether global systems integrators or technology resellers, to draw from a pool of funds provided by OneTrust to run events. We collaborate closely by supplying speakers, branding, or merchandise, while the partner leads the forum. This model delivered exceptional outcomes, achieving an ROI of up to 44 to 1 on small investment programmes. Consequently, we are expanding our MDF programme alongside our new flagship office in Singapore.”

What defines the modern marketing leader and guides early-stage career success?

In a final thought, Clare offers advice on strategic leadership, career growth, and personal fulfilment.

“I would describe the role of a marketing leader in one word: strategic. The role is fundamentally about being a strategy leader and developer for the business. You need a clear vision. In roles involving greenfield expansion, you have to see the path before it exists, believe in it, and act as the champion when things go off track. A strategic marketing leader charts the path for the entire team to follow.

If I were giving advice to someone starting a marketing career, I would tell them to keep an open mind and say yes to everything. When you are in a junior role and someone asks if you want to assist with a project or attend a forum, just say yes. You never know where those opportunities lead. Finally, ask yourself: do you love what you do? We spend so much time at work that it is essential to find satisfaction in your role. If you are unsure, it is never too late to take a different path.”

Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network

Across Clare’s insights on regional expansion, partner-led growth models, and responsible data governance, one pattern is clear: modern growth hurdles cannot be resolved inside isolated operational departments. They require a peer-level perspective and high-trust dialogue that transcends routine campaign execution.

Her vision of strategic marketing leadership reflects a broader operational reality: today’s growth heads cannot rely on standard global playbooks alone to capture regional market share. The most effective executives, especially those managing data governance, cloud, and enterprise AI portfolios across Asia Pacific and Japan, actively seek out peer dialogue as a strategic necessity to benchmark their go-to-market strategies against real-world conditions.

At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders facing these exact challenges. Step away from the daily noise of transactional lead generation and engage in the kind of open, high-value conversations that align your marketing engine with true commercial expansion.

FAQs Section

Q: What is the role of a Head of Marketing for APAC and Japan?

A: A Head of Marketing for APAC and Japan oversees regional go-to-market strategies across multiple countries. The role involves adapting global brand campaigns to local market nuances, managing partner alliances, orchestrating field events, and driving pipeline creation to support regional business expansion.

Q: What is a Marketing Development Fund (MDF) in B2B tech channels?

A: A Marketing Development Fund (MDF) is a financial resource provided by a technology vendor to its channel partners, such as resellers or systems integrators. Partners use these funds to host co-branded marketing events, webinars, or campaigns that generate joint pipeline and expand market reach.

Q: How do data privacy regulations impact modemarketersketeers?

A: Data privacy regulations rmarketers operating across international jurisdictions to collect, store, and process customer data responsibly. Marketers must ensure strict compliance with regional data protection laws, balancing personalised campaign targeting with transparent data governance.

Q: How can AI tools assist field marketing teams daily?

A: AI tools assist field marketing teams by automating repetitive administrative tasks, summarising lengthy communications, drafting initial campaign content, and organising inbox priorities, enabling marketers to focus on high-touch strategy and partner collaboration.

Q: Why is saying yes to varied projects valuable for early-career marketers?

A: Saying yes to diverse projects exposes early-career marketers to multiple disciplines, including events, digital media, public relations, and partner operations. This broad cross-functional experience builds a comprehensive understanding of business strategy and opens unexpected career growth paths.